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EMPIRE OF TREBIZOND

PART 1: Imagined
Empire

"Still the toers of Trebizond, the fabled city. shimmer on a far horizon, gated
and walled and held in a luminous enchantment."
From the 14th Century traveler Marco Polo to the novelist Rose Macaulay, old
Trebizond has evoked an image of sumptuous and slightly surreal exoticism in the
Western mind. Polo visited the city during the brief Medieval interlude when
Constantinople lay in doldrums and the half-imaginary Empire of Trebizond stood
out as the last stronghold of Byzantine wealth and splendor. Ruy Gonzales de
Clavijo, visiting in 1401, described a city of golden towers and glittering
mosaics, a Christian relic at the gates of far Asia. Don Quijote styled himself
Emperor of Trebizond when he first stumbled over the boundaries of reality. In
an equally fantastic mood, the court his¬torians of Napoleon Bonaparte attempted
to prove that the Corsican adventurer was a descendant of the Grand Comneni of
Trebizond.

Tantalizing reminders of medieval glory survive in modern Trabzon, hidden in the
back alleys of the city and remote corners of the Surrounding mountains. There
are the battered fortress walls, jutting over ravines in the heart of the city:
the Hagia Sophia, with its extraordinary collection of Byzantine frescoes: the
cathedral of Panagia Chrysocephalos, once the imperial shrine of Politic
dynasts; the Church of St. Eugenius, with its spectacular view over the city;
and outside Trabzon, the Unbelievable Monastery of Sumela clinging to a wall of
basalt in the deep forest.
There are also traces of a more recent period of glory-the belle epoque of the
turn of 20th century, when Trabzon prospered briefly amid the wreckage of the
Ottoman Empire as it had once prospered on the ashes of the Byzantine. They
include the misleadingly named Atatürk House and other memorials of an opulent
Greek bourgeoisie that dreamt of restoring Trabzon to its old grandeur.
The visitor who expects a city of gold-plated domes and decadent wealth may be
at first disappointed to find a homey provincial city instead. Today's Trabzon
lives mainly as the central market town of eastern Black Sea's colorful, quirky
and eccentric people, who have little memory of and less interest in any
Byzantine past. Having lost to Samsun the title of being the region's main
seaport the city now faces inland, seemingly oblivious to the sea and the
commercial traditions to which it once owed its fame and wealth.
It takes a couple hours of strolling in the cobblestoned streets of downtown
Trabzon to fall in love with this "new" city. The pomp and glitter of old times
is gone, replaced by the cozy charm of narrow alleys, pastel colored houses and
a bustling bazaar. It is easy to feel at home here. Within a day, all the sights
around Belediye Square, Uzun Sokak, and Ortahisar take on the quality of
familiar landmarks; within a week, one acquires a surprising number of
acquaintances to greet during a walk around the Square.
Taking long walks is the key to getting to know Trabzon. The idea of strolling
the town goes a long way back, with an English delegation sent by Edward I in
1292 reporting that due to the existence of "so many stony streets in the city
and mule paths in the interior, there has been a notable expenditure on shoe
leather." Today, the "stony streets" are of a smooth cobblestoned variety that
extend into the city's back alleys and cul-de-sacs, as well as serving the main
thoroughfare of Uzun Sokak. The plethora of shoe repair shops in the city center
suggests that the natives continue to wear out a good amount of leather.